ALBUM RANK: GARBAGE

One of the more positive things about the last couple years, especially during the height of the pandemic, was that during that time, I went on some really great catalog deep dives. There were quite a few bands I did this with and the end result was rather positive. One of the bands that I went down the rabbit hole with was Garbage. I still remember going to the store to buy their first album when it came out as well as the second one. Both of those albums were in constant rotation back in the day for me. Now after going through all their albums and then some, I have come up with a pretty solid ranking of their albums. If you’ve never delved into the Garbage catalog, I strongly suggest you do. They have some absolutely great albums and songs. Plus, their evolution throughout the years has made their music intriguing and reinvigorating to the genre.

07) Bleed Like Me: This one gets the bottom not because it’s a bad album by any means, it’s just that it’s a very front loaded album that when you get to the halfway point, a lot of the songs fall into familiar territory. The album feels like it’s trying to recapture a feeling or time but in the end it just falls a bit flat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YIIihW89Ac&list=OLAK5uy_mTHaqnibIxQY_BBx5-av2_8IJ9_y7vzoo

06) Beautiful Garbage: This album is a bit of a departure for the band only in that it doesn’t embrace a particular sound or style. Instead it’s a more experimental album, that finds the band looking to expand upon their sound. At times there are songs that are more “pop” than alternative, and other times you will find songs that are more aligned with an R&B style. This album for me is one of those that has to be listened to under the right circumstances. Put it this way, if you were really into the first 2 albums, this one leaves you a little bit more on the side of “it’s not bad but, it’s not what you thought it would or could be.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-g3Eapd9Q0&list=OLAK5uy_kITr4nsYBdjTcYSVVtZttY35W1tn_6ExM

05) Not Your Kind Of People: This album was the bands first in about 7 years after Bleed Like Me. This album is a sort of return to form for the band with some new modern production elements added. It’s a very solid album though it drags a bit as there could have been a couple songs cut off. As a comeback album, this is quite good and worth a good listen. I wouldn’t be shocked that if I did an album rank revisited on Garbage in a year or so, this one could move up a notch or two.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PDPUxm2UJY&list=OLAK5uy_mEtuFEHTkI-Ohuurftezr3OekKXpOjo6o

04) No Gods No Masters: Their most recent album is an absolute blast of a listen. It explores a lot of ground without being a nostalgic trip. The lyrical content on this album is quite thought provoking as well. You could even say that this is a very mature album both in the thematic sense as well as musically. After 7 albums together, they know what works best and doesn’t and it shows on this album very well. I really enjoyed this album and keep finding new things to like with each listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG047b1uE9I&list=OLAK5uy_kONe0n9SUMEHydt2_Cxjc7oBTa1t4f3Gc

03) Strange Little Birds: The first time I heard this album all the way through, I felt like this was a sort of sequel or logical follow up to the band’s first 2 albums. There’s a really cool element of mixing the old with the new on this album. Strange Little Birds is a rather deep album lyrically and compelling. The album has some really catchy moments just like the first 2 have. There’s also an anger to this album that you can hear musically as well that really compliments every component well. Each time I listen to this album especially the final song “Amends,” I feel compelled to start it again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbZMYxaNTvU&list=OLAK5uy_lhRIYO6WW7WkwYpHgSZGWlx21lFo11PEY

02) Garbage: The debut and the one that started it all. What a superb debut album. It’s got all the great things that made music in the 90’s such a game changer. I love this album and think it’s one of the quintessential debut albums of all time. There is no doubt about the quality of the album from the songs, production, and performances. I also believe that this album became a blueprint for a lot of other bands/artists that have come out since.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMqslcTBRf8&list=OLAK5uy_kBhKWqtEqoNf2WFc1RkX_PJ1xUivlzqJw

01) Version 2.0: The band’s second album and my personal favorite gets the top spot. This one adds to their superb start and goes even further into what they are capable of. The darker elements, especially the lyrical content is quite a trip. Musically, there is so much to discover on this album as the band pulled inspiration from bands from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. One of the things I love most about the album is the production on it. There’s a really cool Hi-Fi meets Lo-Fi compliment to the way the instruments sound as well as the vocals. This is one of those second albums, that (like myself) you might enjoy more than the first one. That’s not to say the first one isn’t the tops, it’s all a matter of preference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1yxXhMxe28&list=OLAK5uy_niRa7PPkLBcfu7yjgkIvwNhN4VQyTRVQY

Guest Vocals: Shirley Manson of Garbage

Shirley Manson is one of my all time favorite singers. Ever since I heard Garbage’s first album back in 1995, I was hooked. There is no denying the impact Shirley had on rock music over the years. And to this day, Shirley sounds amazing! While on a recent Garbage listening extravaganza, I looked into the times Shirley guested on other albums and here you go!

01) Queens Of The Stone Age- You’ve Got A Killer Scene There, Man (Lullabies To Paralyze):

02) Gavin Rossdale- The Trouble I’m In (Wanderlust):

03) Eric Avery- Maybe (Help Wanted):

04) Le Butcherettes- Shame, You’re All I’ve Got Left (Cry Is For The Flies):

05) Brody Dalle- Meet The Foetus/Oh The Joy (Diploid Love):

Classic Soundtrack: Romeo + Juliet (1996)

The 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet, you know the one with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, has one hell of a great soundtrack. It features a bunch of great bands like Radiohead, Garbage, The Cardigans, and Butthole Surfers. The Radiohead song “Exit Music (For A Film)” is featured in the film as the credits play but, was not included on the soundtrack. Instead “Talk Show Host” is. This soundtrack was a huge success and a few of the songs like “Lovefool” by The Cardigans, helped to propel the sales. The soundtrack reached number 2 on the Billboard charts and would go on to sell over 3 million copies in the US alone.

The Soundtrack:

Those 90’s Songs: Garbage- Vow

I don’t know how I wind up listening to things at times. The other day while I was working, somehow I wound up listening to the band Garbage. I still have no clue what brought that up but, I’m glad it did. I spent the rest of the day and most of the next delving back into their catalog and history. Garbage really have some pretty great songs and albums. Their newer albums too are pretty damn good. While listening to their debut album, I had a flashback to the first time I heard the band and their song “Vow.” I remember listening to the radio and being totally taken aback by the voice I heard. Shirley Manson really left a mark on me and the music the backed her up on that song was just as grabbing. Some interesting history on the song, Garbage had not initially planned to release “Vow” as their first single, as a single at all, or even include it on their self titled debut. According to the band, they felt that “Vow” was not representative of the album’s genre-hopping body of work, although they later came to appreciate the situation that led to the song becoming their debut. Manson declared that “now we can do whatever and people won’t know what to expect”, but if the band had instead settled for “of the more clubby tunes” as a single, “we would have been pigeonholed as a dance band and that’s a hard tag to shake.” Either way, I’m glad it was released and on their debut. It wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t.

Garbage- Vow:

 

 

 

Guest Musician: Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl is one of the busiest and most collaborative musicians that have come around in a long time. I’ve been wanting to do a Guest Musician post about Dave for some time, and now seems like the great time to do it. Here are a slew of the songs Dave has guested on over the years.

 
Tony Iommi Solo Album- Goodbye Lament (Vocals/Drums):

 

David Bowie- I’ve Been Waiting For You (Guitar):

 

Pete Yorn- For Us (Drums):

 

Garbage- Bad Boyfriend (Drums):

 

Slash Solo Album- Watch This (Drums):

 

The Prodigy- Run With The Wolves (Drums):

 

Nine Inch Nails- Getting Smaller (Drums):

 

Nine Inch Nails- The Collector (Drums):

 

Nine Inch Nails- Sunspots (Drums):

 

Nine Inch Nails- The Line Begins To Blur (Drums):

 

Nine Inch Nails- Every Day Is Exactly The Same (Drums):

 

Albums Played On:

Queens Of The Stone Age- Songs For The Deaf, Like Clockwork
Tenacious D- Self Titled, The Pick Of Destiny, Rize Of The Fenix
Juliette And The Licks- Four On The Floor
Killing Joke- Self Titled

And so many more…

 

 

Top Ten Bands: G

We continue the alphabet with the letter G. Again these are in no particular order. And I’m always looking to add to the list so feel free to leave suggestions!

 

1) Guns N Roses
2) Germs
3) Gojira
4) Green Day
5) Peter Gabriel
6) Genesis
7) Garbage
8) Godflesh
9) Marvin Gaye
10) David Gilmour

 

 

List: Best Self Titled Albums

My brain works in strange ways at times. I think of silly lists in my mind then start to really analyze them. Earlier in the week I had an idea while gazing through my music collection at home about how many self titled albums there are. Which then made me think how many of those are really that good. Well here is a list of the best self titled albums. This list is in NO PARTICULAR ORDER.

 

Black Sabbath- Black Sabbath
Metallica- Metallica
Alice In Chains- Alice In Chains (Tripod)
Year Of The Rabbit- Year Of The Rabbit
Vision Of Disorder- Vision Of Disorder
The Velvet Underground & Nico- The Velvet Underground & Nico
Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin
The Doors- The Doors
System Of A Down- System Of A Down
Them Crooked Vultures- Them Crooked Vultures
Foo Fighters- Foo Fighters
Slipknot- Slipknot
Royal Blood- Royal Blood
Rage Against The Machine- Rage Against The Machine
Rancid- Rancid
Pearl Jam- Pearl Jam (Avocado)
Korn- Korn
Garbage- Garbage
Deftones- Deftones
The Cult- The Cult
311- 311

Album Anniversary: Garbage- Self Titled

The mid 90’s were a very special time in music. So many ground breaking and influential albums came out and shaped the lives of my people.  On August 15, 1995, Garbage released their debut album. After spending time doing remixes and working on other peoples records, Butch Vig, Steve Marker and Duke Erickson decided they wanted to take the different instrumentation they had been doing and form a full fledged band. According to the way the story goes, Steve Marker was watching 120 Minutes on MTV, when he saw the music video of Angelfish’s “Suffocate Me.” He then showed the video to Duke and Butch and had their manager track Shirley Manson down. Shirley Manson met up with  Erikson, Marker and Vig for the first time in London. Due to Shirley’s other band on tour, Garbage was put on hold till after they finished their cycle. The three guys then attended Angelfish’s show in Chicago and Shirley was invite to audition for the group. The audition did not go well, but after talking with the guys while there and they found they had a similar taste in music. Shirley then called Garbage’s manager and asked to audition again.

The album itself is a blend of many different genres from punk, rock, techno, hip hop all with an incorporated pop tinge. There are so many great tracks like, “Vow,” “Stupid Girl,” “Only Happy When It Rains” and “Supervixen.”  Radio and MTV really picked up on the bands singles. To support the albums release, Garbage was the main support for The Smashing Pumpkins while on their tour for Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

20 years into their career and Garbage still have a knack for creating great music. Their singles really still hold up well, as well as some of the deep cuts. The albums as a whole are a little iffy, but there is a real sense of pride within the bands as to what they have created. One thing I noticed while Listening back to all their albums, is that on Version 2.0, they really seemed to find their sound and hone it gracefully.

There is no doubt that all the members of the band are extremely talented, each bringing in something different to the table to create a great body of work. The one thing that always stood out to me about Garbage was Shirley Manson. She has a way about here that is part punk rock, alternative, and hypnotic. Her voice stands out amongst a lot of here peers in the entire genre.

Garbage is going on the road to celebrate their 20 year anniversary by playing their self titled debut in it’s entirety, as well as re releasing it with a slew of extras.

Garbage-Garbage:

Garbage EPK from first album:

By: Brian Lacy

Cover Thursday: Garbage (Ramones)- I Just Want To Have Something To Do

I find it very intriguing that while on my kick of listening to Garbage as of late I would stumble upon their cover of my favorite Ramones song, “I Just Want To Have Something To Do.” Shirley Manson really delivers the goods on this version, as well as the rest of the band.